King Sennacherib of Assyria Invades Judah
(2 Kings 18.13-37Isaiah 36.1-22)1 After King Hezekiah had faithfully obeyed the Lord's instructions by doing these things, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He attacked the fortified cities and thought he would capture every one of them.
2 As soon as Hezekiah learned that Sennacherib was planning to attack Jerusalem, 3-4 he and his officials worked out a plan to cut off the supply of water outside the city, so that the Assyrians would have no water when they came to attack. The officials got together a large work force that stopped up the springs and streams near Jerusalem.
5 Hezekiah's workers also repaired the broken sections of the city wall. Then they built defense towers and an outer wall to help protect the one already there. The landfill on the east side of David's City was also strengthened.
He gave orders to make a large supply of weapons and shields, 6 and he appointed army commanders over the troops. Then he gathered the troops together in the open area in front of the city gate and said to them:
7 Be brave and confident! There's no reason to be afraid of King Sennacherib and his powerful army. We are much more powerful, 8 because the Lord our God fights on our side. The Assyrians must rely on human power alone.
These words encouraged the army of Judah.
9 When Sennacherib and his troops were camped at the town of Lachish, he sent a message to Hezekiah and the people in Jerusalem. It said:
10 I am King Sennacherib of Assyria, and I have Jerusalem surrounded. Do you think you can survive my attack? 11 Hezekiah your king is telling you that the Lord your God will save you from me. But he is lying, and you'll die of hunger and thirst. 12 Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the Lord's altars and places of worship? And didn't he tell you people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place?
13 You've heard what my ancestors and I have done to other nations. Were the gods of those nations able to defend their land against us? 14 None of those gods kept their people safe from the kings of Assyria. Do you really think your God can do any better? 15 Don't be fooled by Hezekiah! No god of any nation has ever been able to stand up to Assyria. Believe me, your God cannot keep you safe!
16 The Assyrian officials said terrible things about the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. 17 Sennacherib's letter even made fun of the Lord. It said, “The gods of other nations could not save their people from Assyria's army, and neither will the God that Hezekiah worships.” 18 The officials said all these things in Hebrew, so that everyone listening from the city wall would understand and be terrified and surrender. 19 The officials talked about the Lord God as if he were nothing but an ordinary god or an idol that someone had made.
The Death of King Sennacherib
(2 Kings 19.14-192 35-37Isaiah 37.14-20Isaiah 37.36-38)20 Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz begged the Lord for help, 21 and he sent an angel that killed every soldier and commander in the Assyrian camp.
Sennacherib returned to Assyria, completely disgraced. Then one day he went into the temple of his god where some of his sons killed him.
22 The Lord rescued Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from Sennacherib and also protected them from other enemies. 23 People brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and expensive gifts for Hezekiah, and from that day on, every nation on earth respected Hezekiah.
Hezekiah Gets Sick and Almost Dies
(2 Kings 20.1-11Isaiah 38.1-8)24 About this same time, Hezekiah got sick and was almost dead. He prayed, and the Lord gave him a sign that he would recover. 25 But Hezekiah was so proud that he refused to thank the Lord for everything he had done for him. This made the Lord angry, and he punished Hezekiah and the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Hezekiah and the people later felt sorry and asked the Lord to forgive them. So the Lord did not punish them as long as Hezekiah was king.
Hezekiah's Wealth
(2 Kings 20.12-19Isaiah 39.1-8)27 Hezekiah was very rich, and everyone respected him. He built special rooms to store the silver, the gold, the precious stones and spices, the shields, and the other valuable possessions. 28 Storehouses were also built for his supply of grain, wine, and olive oil; barns were built for his cattle, and pens were put up for his sheep. 29 God made Hezekiah extremely rich, so he bought even more sheep, goats, and cattle. And he built towns where he could keep all these animals.
30 It was Hezekiah who built a tunnel that carried the water from Gihon Spring into the city of Jerusalem. In fact, everything he did was successful! 31 Even when the leaders of Babylonia sent messengers to ask Hezekiah about the sign God had given him, God let Hezekiah give his own answer to test him and to see if he would remain faithful.
Hezekiah Dies
(2 Kings 20.202 21)32 Everything else Hezekiah did while he was king, including how faithful he was to the Lord, is included in the records kept by Isaiah the prophet. These are written in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 When Hezekiah died, he was buried in the section of the royal tombs that was reserved for the most respected kings, and everyone in Judah and Jerusalem honored him. His son Manasseh then became king.
Ovasirie mave tanda Jerusalem
(2Ozo 18:13-372Ozo 19:14-19, 2Ozo 35-37Jes 36:1-22Jes 37:8-38)1 Kombunda yovitjitwa mbi Hiskija ma karera Muhona nouṱakame, Sanherib, ombara yOvasirie, wa rwisa Juda. Eye wa kovera ovihuro ovinamasa, na rakiza kotjimbumba tje tjovita kutja tji taurire motumbo. 2 Hiskija tja muna kutja Sanherib we rimana okurwisa Jerusalem wina, 3 otje ripura puna ovahongore ve novarwe ve ozombangaṋe kutja ve pate omeva wotuharwi tu twa ri pendje yotjihuro; nowo ve mu vatera. 4 Ovandu ovengi va wongara, nowo va pata otuharwi atuhe nomuramba mbuyau pupu mehi, amave tja: “Ozombara zOvasirie maze sokuvazera tjike omeva omengi nai, tji maze ya?” 5 Ombara ya zeuparisa omatungiro wokuyama otjihuro, okutja ya tungurura otumbo, ai tungu otuhungu kombanda yatwo, nai tungu orumbo orutjavari kongotwe yaindwi orutenga. Wina ya zeuparisa otjiṱunga Milo mOtjihuro tja David, nai ungurisa omanga omengi notuvao otuingi. 6 Ombara ya twa ovarumendu avehe votjihuro kehi yondyero yovahongore votjimbumba tjovita nai raera kovahongore mba kutja ve ve woronganisire morupare pomuvero wotjihuro. Oyo ya tja nai ku wo: 7 “Rireye ovanamasa nu yanḓipareye! Amu tira ombara yOvasirie poo otjira tjovita tji tji i kongorera! Eṱe tu nomasa tjinene pu wo. 8 Eye u nomasa womundu, nungwari eṱe tu na Muhona, Ndjambi wetu, ngu me tu vatere nokuturwira ovita vyetu.” Ovandu va yanḓiparisiwa i omambo nga wombara.
9 Kombunda yanao Sanherib notjimbumba tje tjovita ngunda ava ri mOlakis, eye wa hinda ombuze ku Hiskija na kOvajuda, mba ri puna ye mOjerusalem, ndji mai tja: 10 “Ami, Sanherib, ombara ya Asirie, me pura kutja mwe riyameka otjikeṋa tji mwa hirimana mOjerusalem, ngunda atja koverwa. 11 Hiskija me mu wovisa ame mu raere kutja Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, me mu yama komasa wetu, nungwari ma tjiti kutja mu ṱondjara nonyota. 12 Eye ongwa hahaura poṋa pomerikotameneno ku Muhona, novipunguhiro vye, nu tjazumba ongwa raera ovandu va Juda nova Jerusalem kutja ve rikotamene nokutwimisira ovyomoro omuwa kotjipunguhiro tjimwe uriri. 13 Kamu nokutjiwa imbi ootate mukururume na ami mbi twa tjitire kovandu vomihoko vyarwe are? Oomukuru vomihoko vyarwe ngamwa ve na pu va yamene ovandu vawo kouvara wandje are? 14 Omukuru uṋe womihoko vyarwe mbya yandekerwe i ootate mukururume, ngwa sorere okuyama ovandu ve ku ami? Nambano Ndjambi weṋu ma sora vi okumuyama? 15 Amu wovisiwa poo amu pukisiwa i Hiskija! Amu kambura mu ye! Kape nomukuru womuhoko poo wouhona ngamwa ngwa yenenene okuyama ovandu ve ku ami poo kootate mukururume. Nu tjiri, Ndjambi weṋu ngwi kamaa yenene okumuyama.”
16 Ovahongore vOvaasirie va hungirira ko oviṋa ovingi oviyamburure ku Muhona Ndjambi, na ku Hiskija, omukarere wa Muhona. 17 Ombara Sanherib wina wa tjanga orutuu ama yamburura Muhona Ndjambi wa Israel. Mu rwo mwa tjangwa nai: “Oomukuru vomihoko vyomahi warwe kave yamene ovandu vawo kouvara wandje, nu Ndjambi wa Hiskija wina kamaa yama ovandu ve ku ami.” 18 Ovahongore va ravaera nai mOtjiheberi kutja ve tirise nokumumaparisa ovature va Jerusalem, mba ri kombanda yorumbo rwotjihuro kokutja a rire oupupu ku wo okukambura otjihuro. 19 Owo va hungira Ndjambi wa Jerusalem momuhingo tjingewo mbu ve hungira oomukuru voviwaṋa vyarwe, imbi ovisenginina mbya ungurwa i omake wovandu.
20 Ombara Hiskija nomuprofete Jesaja, omuzandu wa Amos, va kumbira otjiṋa hi ku Ndjambi nave ku ombatero ku ye. 21 Muhona wa tuma omuengeri ngwa zepa ovarwe ozombanḓe avehe, novanane novahongore votjimbumba tjOvaasirie tjovita. Nombara otji ya yaruka kOasirie mohoṋi. Eyuva rimwe oyo tji ya ri mondjuwo onḓere yomukuru we, tjiva vovazandu ve otji ve i zepa nomangaruvyo wawo.
22 Komuhingo mbwi Muhona wa yama Hiskija novandu va Jerusalem kouvara wa Sanherib, ombara ya Asirie, na wina kovanavita na wo varwe. Eye wa yandja ohange kovandu komikuma avihe. 23 Ovandu ovengi ve ya kOjerusalem amave eta oviyambo vyozombunguhiro ku Muhona, noviyandjewa ovinanḓengu ku Hiskija. Okuzambo ovandu va kara nondengero onene kombara Hiskija.
Ouvere nomeritongamisiro wa Hiskija
(2Ozo 20:1-3, 2Ozo 12-19Jes 38:1-3Jes 39:1-8)24 Moruveze mangara tjingero ndo ombara Hiskija wa vera na hara okukoka. Eye wa kumba, nu Muhona we mu zuvira ne mu raisire kutja me mu verukisa. 25 Nungwari ombara Hiskija we ritongamisa tjinene, a ha tja okuhepa kouwa Muhona mbwa tjita ku ye; nu Juda na Jerusalem vya hihamisirwa otjiṋa hi. 26 Tjazumba Hiskija novature va Jerusalem ve risusuparisa, nu Muhona otje haverere ovandu, nga kombunda yonḓiro ya Hiskija.
Outumbe wa Hiskija
27 Hiskija wa rira omutumbe tjinene, nu auhe we mu yozika tjinene. Eye wa tungisa ozondjuwo zokupwikirwa mo ongoldo nosilveri, nomawe omahuze, novyomoro omuwa, notuvao, noviṋa ovikwao ovinanḓengu. 28 Nu noho wa tungisa ozondjuwo zokupwikirwa mo ovikokotwa, nomavinu, nomaze womiṋinga; na wina wa tungisa oviunda vyozongombe novyozonḓu ze. 29 Posi yaimbi avihe Ndjambi we mu pa ozonḓu nozongombe, noutumbe ounene; neye wina wa tunga ovihuro ovingi. 30 Ombara Hiskija ongwa pata omeva woruharwi Gihon ne ye pitisire moturora tu twa tuurunga orumbo okutwara omeva mOtjihuro tja David. Hiskija wa ṋingapara moviṋa avihe mbya tjita. 31 Nandarire ovatumwa va Babilon tji ve ya okukonḓonona otjiraisiro otjihimise tji tja tjitirwe mehi, Ndjambi wa isa Hiskija okuripura mu ye omuini, e mu rore nu a tjiwe oviundikwa avihe, mbi ri momutima we.
Ondjandero youhona wa Hiskija
(2Ozo 20:20-21)32 Oviṋa avihe vyarwe ombara Hiskija mbya tjita, nokuriyameka kwe ku Muhona, vya tjangwa mOmavandururiro womuprofete Jesaja, omuzandu wa Amos, na mEkuruhungi rOzombara za Juda noza Israel. 33 Hiskija wa koka na pakwa kondunda, popezu nomaendo wozondekurona za David. Ovandu avehe va Juda nova Jerusalem ve mu tjitira ondjozikiro onene monḓiro ye. Omuzandu we Manasse we mu pingena mouhona.
